


We're just two lost souls swimming in a fish bowl

by Liviania



Category: Second Chance (TV 2016)
Genre: F/M, Post-Series
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-17
Updated: 2016-12-17
Packaged: 2018-09-09 03:51:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,287
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8874658
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Liviania/pseuds/Liviania
Summary: The Goodwin house had never been the most lively place, but all the life had been sucked out of it. Fairly literally, when you considered everything that had happened.
Or, Jimmy and Alexa figuring out this whole roommates thing.





	

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Karios](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Karios/gifts).



For the first few months, most of their rare conversation related to the household. Alexa would be upset about something like him eating her food, and then she'd let him know it. Jimmy rarely understood her problem. An apple was an apple; what made the ones she'd bought so different from his? It wasn't like they went to the grocery store anyway. Thanks to Mary, they had a grocery service. One more perk of being rich.

They saw each other, in passing. They didn't dislike each other, but it felt like there was nothing to their relationship without Mary. They were cordial, and that was it. The Goodwin house had never been the most lively place, but all the life had been sucked out of it. Fairly literally, when you considered everything that had happened.

The most they saw of each other was when one of them needed the tank. As distant as they were, neither of them minded simply disrobing and climbing in when the other was present. Jimmy had never had much shame, and it didn't register to Alexa after all the indignities she'd suffered under Connor.

And, though neither of them said it, there was something comforting about being seen by the only person who could understand.

* * *

It seemed as if they could continue that way until Mary returned. Then, Jimmy returned home from tracking a dead end to discover that someone had reorganized his notes on the case.

Duval had been cleared of any wrongdoing by the FBI, but there was still a black mark on his file. He'd been shifted more toward white collar cases, things were there wasn't enough excitement to make him lose his head.

It drove Jimmy nuts. He'd never be all that excited about such boring cases, and the only challenge was keeping the FBI from realizing he was alive or Duval from realizing he was interfering. So maybe he got a bit careless and let all the boring piles of paper mound up on the desk he'd claimed for his own.

But now the desk looked neat as a pin.

"I don't know where a thing is," he muttered.

"Don't start with that," said Alexa, entering the office with a small wooden file cabinet hefted in one hand. "There's a perfectly sensible system in place now. Anyone with half a brain could pick it up in a minute." She smiled in a way that seemed friendly but made Jimmy certain she was mocking him.

"You don't like me messing with your things," he growled out.

She arched an eyebrow at him. "It wasn't in your apartment, so I figured it was fair game. After all, I have a desk and a desk is a desk, isn't it?"

She sat the cabinet down in a corner and stood back a bit, seeming to check the placement. She must have been satisfied, because she turned around smartly and clapped her hands. "How do you like them apples?" she asked before striding confidently from the room.

Jimmy stared after her. And then he got back to work, steadfastly ignoring that her system was an improvement.

As he sorted through the evidence, he found that she'd left notes. Color-coded notes. Including a red one that said that the auditor's books were bad.

He picked up the documents in question and searched for her. For all the open spaces and glass doors, it could be hard to find someone due to the sheer size of the Goodwin house.

"Alexa? Alexa?" he called.

She appeared in front of him, dressed as impeccably crisp as ever even though he knew she hadn't gone out and didn't plan on going out. "Yes?" she asked.

"What do you mean the auditor's books are bad?"

"They say the company is too perfect," she said. "Hand it to me; I'll show you." They sat together on a stiff white couch, heads bent together. She flipped through page by page, showing where various numbers jumped. Yet every time something deviated from the average, the math still worked out and said the company had accounted for everything correctly. "Even the best accountants make mistakes. But these fluctuations combined with the flawless books? Either the auditor is in on it, or the company's found a way to edit their books without their knowledge."

"I know enough about hacking to know that's not how hacking works," Jimmy said.

"Who said anything about hacking? Company gives the auditor an office ... lazy trusting auditor leaves their password sitting by their computer."

"I'll check into it." Jimmy stood, and paused. "Thanks."

Alexa looked surprised by Jimmy exhibiting actual manners. "You're welcome. You're a good detective, Sheriff, but you're a bit out of you depth with this sort of thing. Corporate isn't your world. But it is mine."

"You are a good secretary."

"There's the tactless Jimmy Pritchard we know and love. I was the personal assistant to the CEO of one of the biggest companies in the world. I know more about these cold-blooded sharks than you'll ever learn."

"Yeah, yeah," Jimmy said, waving her off. "I still get the job done."

"All I'm saying is that next time you can ask me for help."

"Oh," he said, stalling for time. He'd never even thought of Alexa as helpful. She'd always been there for Mary, in the background, and then she'd more than redeemed herself when she faced down Otto for Gracie. He knew she was competent and brave and resourceful, but somehow she managed to be so efficient as to be invisible. It's probably why she made such a great spy for Connor.

"You want to give me a crash course in white collar crime?" he asked. "I hear insider trading is riveting."

"Oh, it's got nothing on securities fraud." She laughed. "I'll schedule a meeting and put it on your calendar."

"What calendar?"

"The one I set up on your computer, along with an actual professional email. It's time to enter the 21st century, grandpa. What's the point of being young again if you're not going to act like it?"

He grinned. "You make a good point," he said, admiring the way her eyes lit up when she was teasing him. After all, she was a picture of physical perfection in her own way. What was holding him back from admiring her? Mary wasn't the kind of woman to want him to wait. She believed in moving on, in being true to yourself, and here he was just slipping into a holding pattern.

"Want to go out tonight?" he asked. "I've got to send this tip in, but after that I don't have any plans. Got any of those pencil skirts in leather?"

Alexa rolled her eyes good naturedly. "Wouldn't you like to know?" she asked. "But that sounds good. Let's have some fun. I think it's time that I—" her voice broke off, and he remembered her husband. "You're only young twice."

"That you are," he said, saluting her with the sheaf of documents.

"And you know what else would be fun?" she asked.

He waited for the answer she clearly wanted to give.

"If you let me babysit Duval's cases while you went back to solving murders and other violent crimes. I think we'd both be happier without you snarling around the place with all your pent-up energy."

"You know, Alexa, I like the way you think. How do you feel about hiring an escort tonight? We can afford a good one?"

She punched him on the shoulder as she left the room, and it was really quite something to remember what it was like to be hit by someone in his weight class.

The sex was going to be fantastic.

**Author's Note:**

> I was thrilled to match on Second Chance, because I miss this fun show that barely anyone else watched. I liked all of your prompts, but decided to go with this one because I loved that weird little glimpse of their life together at the end of the last episode.
> 
> I really wanted to write case fic where Alexa's skills help Jimmy, but I quickly realized I'm not that great at coming up with cases. The vague mumbo-jumbo here is based on the real case of Crazy Eddie's, where the auditors kept their keys in the paperclip container on top of their desks, which helped the crooks doctor the books and stave off prosecution longer.


End file.
